"The 13th Floor" is a sci-fi film crossed with elements of noir. I found neither side of it interesting. It came out at the same time as "The Matrix" this year and since it exhibited similar qualities, or at least looked similar, audiences stayed away. After watching the film, I can see the real reason why this film flopped: it's a mess- a visually interesting stew with an interesting idea or two thrown into the mix.

In the film, two computer programmers are loading their minds into the first virtual world that they have created for themselves: Los Angeles, 1937. The two programmers are Douglas Hall(Craig Bierko) and Jason Whitney(Vincent D' Onofrio). Their boss is murdered and suddenly, a detective is on their case. While the film was marketed as a sci-fi flick, it's evident from the early moments that it's readying itself to spin into more of a murder mystery. Soon, the daughter of the boss mysteriously appears, adding to the plot points that begin to pile upon one another. Thinking that he was somehow behind the murder, Hall travels back in time to the 1937 LA in search of the truth. Although the film certainly contains answers that aren't readily obvious and may suprise you, that still doesn't help the film, which doesn't add up as a whole.

The film certainly looks good, thanks to impressive production design. Although the cinematography has been praised, I thought it was just okay. This is a case of a film where it may look good, but there really isn't anything behind it all: the actors(especially Gretchen Mol and Craig Bierko) are as blank as the movie is. Beyond that, this is an instance where the trailer is more exciting than the film. There's not enough tension in the film itself to pull us through the early portions of the film. By the time the film actually starts to get going, I'd already given up on the film. I'm not going to give away the secrets of the film, but let me say this: for what the film offers as plot twists, the rest of the film certainly feels like work to sit through. Impressive production design is about all this film has to offer.